During a client meeting last week, I was asked to contrast the art of public speaking, business presentation skills and facilitation. Are they different?
The answer is yes, of course, although not all will agree on the differences.
Perhaps it is a very personal point of view on the issue, but the analogy that comes to mind right away is that you could contrast the three activities in the same way that you could contrast the activities of walking, running, and running a marathon. Not that this analogy considers the distance and time travelled, but the comparison refers to three evolutionary disciplines. You must be able to walk to run and run to start a marathon. In the same way, one must be able to speak in public with some ease before presenting and being able to present to facilitate. The three skillsets are milestones on a continuum towards a higher level of interaction with an audience.
The activity of speaking in public will involve, among other things, the technical concepts of diction, flow, variation of voice, presence, gestures as well as the organization of content and of the message. Should you want to present in front of an audience, we must add other skills that may include how you use audio visual supports, demonstrating a higher level of conviction and engagement around an important issue. Facilitating encompasses all of the concepts mentioned above and also includes a higher level of interaction with the audience. Listening skills are key. Facilitating is not only speaking and presenting, but it is also and above all, a set of techniques to solve problems, facilitate reflection and mobilize the experiences and knowledge of participants towards achieving important goals.
And what about training? Where is it located this speak-present-facilitate continuum? For some, training finds itself immediately after presenting on this progression and this suggests that teaching is a one-way communication activity and leaves little room for feedback and exchange. For education professionals, training means accompanying participants in the organization of information in a hierarchical manner, from the simple restitution of facts to the complex manipulation of concepts, which is often implemented by superior cognitive faculties. Put differently, training promotes the acquisition of knowledge and skills, an activity that encompasses all the skills described here and more. Coaching skills would come to mind right away. Hats off to educators!